Texas leaders defend Black official after lawmaker’s public interrogation of DEI policies left her in tears

Texas Water Development Board Chair L’Oreal Stepney wiped tears from her eyes Thursday as a House hearing turned into a tense line of questioning over race and the future of state hiring practices. The exchange left Stepney visibly distraught, ignited a broader discussion about political rhetoric and respect in state government and caught the eye of Texas’ “Big Three” — Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows. During an appropriations subcommittee meeting, where state agencies present their financial requests for the next state budget, Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian, pressed TWDB officials, including Stepney and another Black official, Edna Jackson, on whether the agency’s hiring policies prioritized diversity over merit.